DNA is NOT the same in all body tissues

DNA Not The Same In Every Cell Of Body: Major Genetic Differences Between Blood And Tissue Cells Revealed

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/...90715131449.htm

ScienceDaily (July 16, 2009) — Research by a group of Montreal scientists calls into question one of the most basic assumptions of human genetics: that when it comes to DNA, every cell in the body is essentially identical to every other cell. Their results appear in the July issue of the journal Human Mutation.

This discovery may undercut the rationale behind numerous large-scale genetic studies conducted over the last 15 years, studies which were supposed to isolate the causes of scores of human diseases.

Except for cancer, samples of diseased tissue are difficult or even impossible to take from living patients. Thus, the vast majority of genetic samples used in large-scale studies come in the form of blood. However, if it turns out that blood and tissue cells do not match genetically, these ambitious and expensive genome-wide association studies may prove to have been essentially flawed from the outset.

This discovery sprang from an investigation into the underlying genetic causes of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) led by Dr. Morris Schweitzer, Dr. Bruce Gottlieb, Dr. Lorraine Chalifour and colleagues at McGill University and the affiliated Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital. The researchers focused on BAK, a gene that controls cell death.

What they found surprised them.

AAA is one of the rare vascular diseases where tissue samples are removed as part of patient therapy. When they compared them, the researchers discovered major differences between BAK genes in blood cells and tissue cells coming from the same individuals, with the suspected disease "trigger" residing only in the tissue. Moreover, the same differences were later evident in samples derived from healthy individuals.

"In multi-factorial diseases other than cancer, usually we can only look at the blood," explained Gottlieb, a geneticist with McGill's Centre for Translational Research in Cancer. "Traditionally when we have looked for genetic risk factors for, say, heart disease, we have assumed that the blood will tell us what's happening in the tissue. It now seems this is simply not the case."

"From a genetic perspective, therapeutic implications aside, the observation that not all cells are the same is extremely important. That's the bottom line," he added. "Genome-wide association studies were introduced with enormous hype several years ago, and people expected tremendous breakthroughs. They were going to draw blood samples from thousands or hundreds of thousands of individuals, and find the genes responsible for disease.

"Unfortunately, the reality of these studies has been very disappointing, and our discovery certainly could explain at least one of the reasons why."

AAA is a localized widening and weakening of the abdominal aorta, and primarily affects elderly Caucasian men who smoke, have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. It often has no symptoms, but can lead to aortic ruptures which are fatal in 90 per cent of cases.

If the mutations discovered in the tissue cells actually predispose for AAA, they present an ideal target for new therapies, and may have even wider therapeutic implications.

"This will probably have repercussions for vascular disease in general," said Schweitzer, of McGill's Department of Medicine. "We have not yet looked at coronary or cerebral arteries, but I would suspect that this mutation may be present across the board."

Schweitzer is optimistic that this discovery may lead to new treatments for vascular disease in the near to medium term.

"The timeline might be five to 10 years," he said. "We have to do in-vitro cell culture experiments first, prove it in an animal model, and then develop a molecule or protein which will affect the mutated gene product. This is the first step, but it's an important step."

Mercury found in high-fructose corn syrup

(NaturalNews) High-fructose corn syrup has taken our food shelves by storm. It is present in many different types of bread, cereals, breakfast bars, yogurts, soups and sugary beverages. It is estimated that, on a typical day, an American consumes an average of 12 teaspoons of such syrup. Further, teenagers and others with high consumption may even be taking in up to 80% more than average. Recently, two separate studies, one published in the journal Environmental Health and the other conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), have revealed a further danger of high-fructose corn syrup, having found that it may contain mercury.

Environmental Health Study

In the report of the first study, it was noted that mercury cell chlor-alkali products are used to make many food ingredients; these include citrus acid, sodium benzoate, as well as high-fructose corn syrup. The latter, referred to as HFCS for short, is used to sweeten and stabilize food products and lengthen their shelf lives.

In 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency had reported that an average of about 7 tons of mercury from each of the then 8 mercury cell chlor-alkali plants located in the US were unaccounted for in 2000. All that mercury must have gone somewhere, and, with it being such a dangerous neurotoxin, that was a dangerous statistic implying additional exposure for humans and the environment. Of particular concern is exposure for children and other sensitive segments of the population.

An Environmental Health Officer (EHO) thus conducted an investigation in 2004, which revealed that both mercury grade and membrane grade caustic soda were used by the industry to manufacture HFCS. Another chemical used was hydrochloric acid. Since mercury grade chemicals were used in the manufacturing process of HFCS, it was likely that mercury could be found in the final product, too.

The EHO dug deeper, collecting HFCS samples from 3 manufacturers and then analyzing them for total mercury content. In almost half of the samples, or 9 out of 20, mercury levels above the detection limit of 0.005 micrograms of mercury per gram of HFCS was found. The maximum level detected was 0.570 ìg mercury/g HFCS in one sample. The samples were collected from 17 to 24 February, 2005.

IATP Study

For the IATP study, the researchers had tested 55 popular brand-name food products and detected mercury in 17 of them (see WebMD link below for a list of the affected products). The 55 products had been chosen based on the fact that HFCS was the number one or two labeled ingredient; such labeling indicates that HFCS was the highest or second highest ingredient in the product, according to weight. The worst hit products were dairy products, followed by dressings and condiments.

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," said David Wallinga, MD, from the IATP, who was involved in both the said studies.

It should be noted that a "snap-shot" sample of the products was obtained, which would not conclusively prove that these products were always or often contaminated.

Reactions

In both studies, the form of mercury detected was not stated. According to Carl Winter, a toxicologist who also directs the FoodSafe Program at the University of California, Davis, there is little to worry about. "I would imagine that a good majority of the mercury that is detected would have been in the form of elemental mercury," he said. According to him, methylmercury is "by far the most toxic form of mercury", as the body absorbs it better than other forms of the metal.

"We have a principle in toxicology, which is the dose makes the poison. It's the amount of a chemical, not its presence or absence, that determines the potential for harm, and frankly, I don't see based on their findings that they've made much of a case that this is something that consumers need to worry about," he also said.

WebMD contacted the food manufacturers and, not surprisingly, they insisted their products are safe. Audrae Erickson, the president of the Corn Refiners Association, also criticized the Environmental Health study. "This study appears to be based on outdated information of dubious significance. Our industry has used mercury-free versions of the two re-agents mentioned in the study, hydrochloric acid and caustic soda, for several years" she stated.

The problem, though, according to Wallinga, is that while about 90% of HFCS production in the US now does not use mercury, it is possible that companies are obtaining their HFCS supplies from overseas. And much of European production may not be mercury-free. Further, the IATP study had found mercury in food products taken off the shelves in 2008. Erickson, however, did not comment on that study.

In any case, whether or not US manufacturers are using mercury-tainted substances is not the most important point. Either way, mercury poisoning via HFCS is still be taking place on a global level, which cannot be good news.

Conclusion

"For me, the take-home message is really that this is a totally avoidable, unnecessary exposure to mercury. We've got a safer, more efficient technology for making these chemicals that are part of the ingredients used to manufacture high-fructose corn syrup," said Wallinga. "The bad news is that nobody knows whether or not their soda or snack food contains HFCS made from ingredients like caustic soda contaminated with mercury. The good news is that mercury-free HFCS ingredients exist. Food companies just need a good push to only use those ingredients," he also said.

With mercury being such a dangerous toxin, in particular for children - the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that minimizing mercury exposure is essential for optimal child health because the metal can affect many aspects of development, in particular brain maturation - the information uncovered by the two studies is important for consumers to take note of.

In any case, notwithstanding the presence of mercury, high-fructose corn syrup is detrimental to health in other ways, and its consumption is best minimized or avoided altogether.

References

Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar (www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2)

Much High Fructose Corn Syrup Contaminated With Mercury, New Study Finds (www.iatp.org/iatp/press.cfm?refID=1...)

Mercury in High-Fructose Corn Syrup? (www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/200...)

Detox for LIFE

(NaturalNews) Detoxification is a natural healing process needed more than ever in today`s toxic world. With the onslaught of chemicals in our food, air and water, we can all do with undergoing a specific program of periodic cleansing. An approach that is designed to lower the toxic burden accumulated in our tissues, while supporting the organs of elimination in a supportive and nurturing environment, is the type of program that will offer the most effective results in our pursuit of outstanding health.

What is detoxification?

We have all heard about the role of detoxification in creating great health; and many of us have experienced the detox process, some by attending a health retreat designed for this purpose, and some by virtue of a supervised fast or cleansing program initiated by a naturopathic practitioner.

But what exactly is detoxification, and what is happening in the body when we engage in this type of specialized program?

Essentially, detoxification is the body`s ongoing process of neutralizing and eliminating toxins from the tissues and organs of the body. It is the job of the liver to take harmful chemicals, toxins and byproducts of metabolism from the bloodstream, and alter them into safer substances to be excreted via the organs of elimination.

This process is always happening automatically, just like we breathe and our hearts beat, and it`s not something we need to think about on a day to day basis. It is a natural state of the body to be continually cleansing, and most of the time we don`t even notice it is happening.

With the amount of potentially harmful chemicals in our environment, our food, our personal care and cleaning products, in air and water pollution, and in the recreational drugs and medications that many people take; our body burden of toxic substances can rise. It is estimated that there are 50,000+ chemicals in production, with 10,000 of these used in food processing.

When the liver is unable to deal with an excess amount of circulating toxins, they can continue to move through the body, causing disruption and damage, before eventually being stored mainly in the fat cells of our organs and tissues, often being stored for years or decades.

Depending on the type of toxins held in the body, we can experience all sorts of chronic and degenerative conditions that have their underlying cause in an overwhelming burden of chemical overload. For example, one molecule of mercury can inhibit the function of up to 1000 zinc molecules.
By engaging in a "detoxification program" we are actively assisting and supporting the body in its own natural cleansing actions, to help in ridding the body of substances that may be detrimental to our health.

Why a specialized detox?

Before essential nutrients can become available to the cells for renewal and repair, we need to remove:

Metabolic waste
Excess proteins (fibrosis)
Mucous
Fat
Calcium
Heavy metals
Chemical residues
Drugs
Pollution
Radiation

Is there only one disease?

Many schools of thought promote the concept of there only being "one disease", that of toxaemia.

This theory proposes that if the body can be kept free and clear of toxic debris and waste, and if good nutrition is provided, the body`s natural healing processes will enable it to heal from any disease.

All effective natural healing methods combine some type of detoxification process.

What is involved in a detoxification program?

In the natural medicine world, a detox is a specific program of dietary changes and often herbal support to:

1)lower the amount of chemicals being ingested,
2)to provide nutrients that enhance the body`s natural processes,
3)to support the organs of elimination in clearing toxins out of the body quickly and safely

There are many styles of detox programs, but the best ones are those undertaken in an environment where all of these factors can be addressed, and there is an opportunity to rest and relax and focus on healing.

1)Lowering ingested chemicals

The first part of detoxification involves lowering the ingestion of not only chemicals in the diet, but often also lowering the amount of food consumed, to give the digestive system a rest and to allow energy to be diverted to cleansing rather than digesting.

Fasting is a universal natural response to disease, and there are several ways to fast; water only, juices, and mono foods being the most common.

To this end, most detox diets will involve a period of fasting, such as drinking only freshly made vegetable juices for several days. Only organic produce should be used for the juicing, to ensure no pesticides or other chemicals or contaminants are consumed.

After a juice fast, it is sensible to spend a period of time eating plain organic fruits and vegetables to allow the body time to adjust to whole foods again, while keeping the burden of ingested toxins to a very low level.

Water fasting can be too extreme for most people in today`s world, as we are carrying such a load of toxins that we need more than just our stores of nutrients to help the body to detoxify them properly. Many people are already malnourished and depleted, so water fasting is not appropriate in these cases.

Fresh organic juice provides a plentiful supply of enzymes to assist in the breakdown of toxic matter, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to protect from free radical damage.

24 hours after starting a juice program, pancreatic enzymes are no longer needed for the digestion of food and can start digesting waste matter in the body. Not only do they start breaking down debris in the colon, but they can travel through the body and start digesting damaged cells, microbes, metabolic waste, acids, fibrosis, atherosclerotic plaques and deposits in the joints

2)Providing nutrients

As toxins are being released for excretion during the fasting phase, these substances can be highly reactive and create free radical damage. Not only as they circulate, but when they are processed through the first phase of liver detoxification, dangerous metabolites can be produced. A high level of antioxidants can offset this danger and protect the liver and the cells of the body.

This is why juice fasting can be so advantageous, as it supplies an enormous amount of concentrated vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are easily absorbed. Organic juice means no toxins are being ingested and by being in a clean environment this lowers the daily burden.

Some detox programs also support the body with green nutrition such as wheat or barley grass, chlorella or spirulina. These green foods supply a high dose of nutrients, protein for the binding of toxins, and chlorophyll which is a powerful blood cleanser.

Healing nutrients:

By juice fasting and supplementing with concentrated green nutrition and herbs with fiber, we offer our body all it needs to cleanse and heal:

Enzymes
Vitamins
Minerals
Antioxidants
Carbohydrates
Chlorophyll
Protein
Fiber

Enzymes: enzymes are specialized proteins that accelerate or instigate chemical reactions within our cells. Malfunction of just one type of enzyme can be fatal.

All animals eat foods which also contain enzymes for their own digestion

Enzyme reserves can be depleted by cooked food; the demands on digestion from cooked foods means that enzyme activity is used for digestion rather than cleansing and healing purposes elsewhere in the body.

Enzymes are at the heart of physiologic healing, they have been called the "spark of life", a deficiency of which has been linked to chronic and degenerative illnesses

Metabolic enzymes build, cleanse and heal the body:

"After two decades of microscopic analysis of the cellular systems of thousands of people who have been guests at Hippocrates, we discovered and confirmed that digestive enzymes and enzymes found within plant foods clearly enhance the electrical frequency in and around cells of the body."
Dr. Brian Clements
Author of "Hippocrates LifeForce, Superior health and longevity"
Director Hippocrates Health Institute, Florida, for over 25 years

Vitamins: essential for life, they are co-factors in enzymatic reactions and required for producing energy needed for detoxification.

Minerals: essential for life, they are co-factors in enzymatic reactions, are required for
energy production, and are utilized in the liver for the binding of toxins.

Antioxidants: required for neutralizing free radical damage caused by circulating toxins, and by Phase 1 liver detox processes.

Carbohydrates: provide fuel for energy.

Chlorophyll: cleansing, blood building, antibacterial, antiseptic, alkalizing and oxygenating.

Protein: is found in concentrated green nutrition and is needed for binding toxins via the liver.

Fiber: acts like an intestinal broom to drag toxins, mucoid plaque and heavy metals out of the bowel, and provide fuel for the good bacteria colonies.

3)Supporting the organs of elimination

There are many organs and systems involved in the detoxification process, but some are more important than others and supporting their function results in a more thorough and pleasant detox.

Liver: the liver is the organ which does the most work during a detox. It takes pollutants out of the bloodstream, identifies them and makes them safe for excretion.

The first stage of this is called Phase 1 Liver Detox and that involves making fat soluble toxins more water soluble, so that they can be eliminated through the bowels or the kidneys. The outcome of Phase 1 is highly reactive toxic metabolites waiting for Phase 2 treatment. A high level of antioxidants are needed to balance and neutralize these substances.

Phase 2 Liver Detox uses various protein molecules to bind these intermediate products and make them safe to be eliminated.

Bowel: a lot of toxins are excreted through the bowel, so a well-functioning, moving bowel is an essential part of the detox. Many detox programs include bowel herbs, bulking fiber such as psyllium husks, products like bentonite clay which bind toxins, or cleanses such as enemas or colonic irrigation.

By cleansing and supporting the bowel in this way, we ensure the maximum removal of toxic substances.

Kidneys: the kidneys are another organ that filters and processes a large number of toxins. During a cleanse, drinking plenty of fluid supports kidney function, and using juices such as watermelon, celery, cucumber or black cherry can all enhance their detoxification ability.

Kidneys are also the repository for our "chi" energy or lifeforce, so plenty of rest, meditation, keeping warm and gentle movement, will all help to revitalize and nourish our kidney energy.

Skin: the skin can release many toxins, especially when it is helped by dry skin body brushing, and by spending time in a sauna. Both of these practices enhance the effectiveness of our detoxification, not only by allowing the release of toxins through the skin, but by moving our lymphatic system which drains and transports many waste products.

Breath: yes, you often will have "detox breath" during a cleanse! Our lungs are powerful
movers of toxic matter, and deep breathing during yoga or meditation is another tool we use
to support our body.

How long do we fast for?

Short fasts, or fasting one day a week are not a good practice.

During the first day of the fast, glucose levels drop and glycogen reserves can be depleted. The body will then start to draw on protein from the tissues to create glucose.

Following day one, the body adapts and starts to use fat as a source of energy and preserves protein. One day fasts will deplete body protein and serve no purpose for deeper detoxification of stored toxins in fat tissues.

Three days is a minimum, but the general rule is to fast until you feel hungry again. Not from habit, but from a true hunger.

Intermittent fasting can extent lifespan by 20-30%

"Studies have shown that fasted cells have the capacity for assimilation and growth characterized by the cells of young animals, demonstrating beyond doubt that fasting rejuvenates cellular function."
Sergius Morgulis, "Fasting and Undernutrition". University of Nebraska, E.P. Dutton, New York 1923.

What is a healing crisis?

A healing crisis is also known as the "Herxheimer Reaction" where the body tries to eliminate toxins at a faster rate than they can be disposed of, resulting in a possible increase in symptoms, or at times nausea, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness or mood swings.

Many people are reluctant to participate in a detoxification program because they are worried about feeling ill or experiencing some type of healing crisis during the detox.

The first day there are often the common symptoms such as the "caffeine withdrawal" headache, but days two and onwards are when the deeper toxins are being removed

These symptoms, however, are much more likely to occur when the organs of elimination are not properly supported. During a professional cleansing program, these reactions are minimized, as every element is designed to move toxins quickly out of the body, for a pleasant and comfortable experience.

How will I feel afterwards?

A comprehensive supervised detox program of at least a week`s duration once or twice a year works well. After spending that period of time cleansing, building your nutritive status, resting and healing, you will feel like a different person!

Skin often becomes clearer, eyes become brighter, energy and vitality expands, sleep is improved, aches and pains are gone, the bowel works better, mental clarity and concentration is improved, and many people shed a few extra kilos over the week.

By lowering your body burden of toxins, you may very well be helping to prevent the chronic health consequences that can come from long term exposure to the thousands of chemical pollutants saturating our environment today.

What a wonderful gift to give yourself!

Sources:
The Hundred Year Lie by Randall Fitzgerald
Lifeforce by Dr. Brian R. Clement
Be Your Own Doctor by Ann Wigmore
Detox and Live by Hilda Hemmes
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juices by Norman Walker

Diabetes drugs grown in tabacco plants

Scientists grow diabetes drug in tobacco plants
Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:37pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found a healthy use for tobacco after breeding genetically modified plants containing a medicine that could stop type 1 diabetes.

The move marks the latest advance in the emerging field of molecular farming, which may offer a cheaper way of making biotech drugs and vaccines than traditional factory systems
European researchers said on Thursday they had produced tobacco plants containing a potent anti-inflammatory protein called interleukin-10 (IL-10) that could help patients with insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases.

A number of agrochemical companies, including Bayer and Syngenta, have been looking at ways to make complex protein drugs in plants, although progress has been slow

At the moment, antibody medicines and vaccines are produced in cell cultures inside stainless steel fermenters.

However, Mario Pezzotti of the University of Verona, who led the tobacco study published in the journal BMC Biotechnology, believes they could be grown more efficiently in fields, since plants are the world's most cost-effective protein producers.

Several different plants have been studied by research groups around the world, but tobacco is a firm favorite.

"Tobacco is a fantastic plant because it is easy to transform genetically and you can easily regenerate an entire plant from a single cell," Pezzotti said in a telephone interview.

His group's work has attracted interest from tobacco giant Philip Morris, which is supporting a conference on plant-based medicine in Verona in June

Pezzotti and colleagues -- who received funding for their research from the European Union -- now plan to feed the plants to mice with autoimmune diseases to find out how they respond.

Further down the line, they want to test whether repeated small doses could help prevent diabetes in people, when given alongside another compound called glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), which has also been produced in tobacco plants.

Swedish biotech company Diamyd is already testing a conventionally produced GAD65 vaccine against diabetes in clinical trials.

Molecular farming has yet to yield its first commercial product, although Israel's Protalix BioTherapeutics is conducting advanced clinical tests on an enzyme treatment for Gaucher disease that is produced in a culture of carrot cells.

Protalix plans to submit its drug for regulatory approval in the United States and Israel in the fourth quarter of 2009.

(Editing by Andrew Macdonald)

Colo-rectal cancer and nutrition

(NaturalNews) Higher consumption of trans fatty acids can increase a person's risk of precancerous colorectal tumors by 86 percent, researchers have found.

"These results suggest that consumption of high amounts of trans-fatty acid may increase the risk of colorectal neoplasia [abnormal cell growth], and they provide additional support to recommendations to limit trans-fatty acid consumption," the researchers wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Between 2001 and 2002, researchers from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill interviewed 622 people about their diet, lifestyle and demographic information between, then gave each of them a complete colonoscopy. They found that participants with the highest intake of trans fats were 86 percent more likely to have colorectal adenomas than those with the lowest trans fat consumption.

Colorectal adenomas are small, benign tumors or polyps in the colon and rectum that can progress into cancer if not treated. While consumption of trans fats increased the risk of developing adenoma, it did not appear to affect the number, size or location of the tumors.

Trans fats are a particular type of fat that occurs naturally only in very trace amounts in meat and dairy products. The bulk of trans fats in the modern diet are synthetically produced by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils. Unlike other fats, trans fats have no nutritional value to the human body. Nevertheless, they have come to be widely used in restaurants and packaged foods, because they hold flavor longer and have a greater shelf life than non-hydrogenated oils.

The current study is not the first to link trans fats to colorectal cancer, which affects 150,000 new people per year in the United States, making it the country's third most commonly diagnosed cancer. Prior research has linked markers of trans fat consumption to an elevated colorectal cancer risk.

While research into trans fats' contribution to cancer risk is a fairly new line of investigations, the fats' damaging effects on cardiovascular health are well documented. Trans fats raise the body's levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol while lowering levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol, and increase the risk of other factors involved in cardiovascular disease, including inflammation and irregular heartbeat.

Studies have also linked the fats to reduced fertility in women, suggesting that eating even four grams of the fats per day (an amount easily consumed in a single serving of French fries) could double the risk of infertility due to ovulation failure.

Leading food and health expert Walter Willett of Harvard Medical School has called trans fats the "worst single specific problem" facing health in the United States today, as well as "the biggest food processing disaster in U.S. history."

Concern over the health effects of trans fats has led cities such as New York and Philadelphia to prohibit their use in restaurants, and other major cities such as Boston and Chicago are considering similar bans. A ban on the use of trans fats by all food facilities is due to take effect in California in 2010, and to be complete by 2011.

Willett has called for the ban to be made nationwide, and to extend to all kinds of food products, not only restaurants. He cited the example of Denmark, which imposed a de facto trans fat ban in 2004 by mandating that any local or imported food product sold in the country contain no more than 2 percent artificially hydrogenated oils.

Traffic can trigger heart attacks

(NaturalNews) If you spend time stuck in traffic as you commute to your job, you might want to consider working closer to home or finding an easier route to get to the office. The reason? It could be a way to lower your risk of a heart attack. That's because people who have had heart attacks are likely to have been in traffic right before their symptoms started, according to new research just reported at the American Heart Association's 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

Scientists at the Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum Muchen, in Germany, studied patients who had suffered heart attacks and found they were more than three times as likely to have been in traffic within an hour of the onset of their symptoms than people who didn't have heart attacks (technically known as myocardial infarctions, or MIs). As you'd expect, driving a car was the primary source of traffic exposure, but even taking a bus or subway or riding a bike in traffic upped the risk of MI. Bottom line: time spent in traffic, no matter what the mode of transportation, produced a 3.2 times higher risk than time spent not caught in traffic.

The researchers used a standardized survey of 1,454 MI patients with an average age of 60 to collect data on what might have triggered the research subjects' heart attacks in the four days leading up to the beginning of MI symptoms. All the patients had a known date and time of their heart attack and all had lived at least 24 hours after their cardiac event. The research participants were asked about their activities the day of their MIs, including where they went, how much time they spent in traffic and what sort of transportation they used. Overall, the results showed 8 percent of the heart attacks could be attributed to traffic.

Those most vulnerable to the heart attack/traffic link were women, older males, the unemployed, and people with a history of angina. Even after being out of traffic for six hours, there was a continued small but statistically significant increase in the risk of having an MI. In a statement to the media, the researchers said they were surprised that women seemed to be at a higher risk of having a heart attack after traffic exposure. "Their risk is more than five times higher. We're not sure what the physiological mechanism is behind this; however, it might also be due to the smaller number of women as we only interviewed 325 women in five years," said Annette Peters, Ph.D., lead author of the study.

Although the research wasn't designed to find the exact reasons why being in traffic could increase the risk of heart attack, the scientists cited automobile exhaust and air pollution coming from other cars as a possible explanation. "But we can't exclude the synergy between stress and air pollution that could tip the balance," Dr. Peters said in the press statement. "Measures to improve air quality within metropolitan areas and reduction of emissions from vehicles are likely to reduce risk for heart attacks."

For more information:
http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/...

Dispel the Myth of cholesterol

(NaturalNews) If you've been religiously counting cholesterol grams in an attempt to eliminate it from your diet, you may be startled to hear the main function of cholesterol in the body is not to clog your arteries. The media has propagated cholesterol as a vile substance akin to trans fat, but in reality, it's not so simple. Cholesterol is not all bad - in fact, it has important functions in a variety of vital processes in your body.

First it should be noted that cholesterol is not a type of fat; it is a high-molecular-weight alcohol made in the liver and other cells in the body. It is not water-soluble and cannot actually be transported freely in the blood. Instead, it is carried in lipoprotein throughout the body so it performs essential duties.

Here are just some of the many tasks cholesterol accomplishes in your body each day:

- Cholesterol is a crucial building material in the body. It helps maintain the structure of cells and vessels, improving overall health and function in the body.

- Cholesterol is a precursor to important sex hormones like testosterone, estrogen, androgen and progesterone. It is also a precursor to corticosteroids, hormones whose primary function is to protect the body against stress and disease. This includes the crucial hormones, cortisol and DHEA.

- Used as an insulator around nerves, cholesterol promotes healthy nervous system function and helps to prevent diseases associated with the nervous system. It is absolutely essential for brain function.

- Since bile salts are made from cholesterol, adequate cholesterol is needed for proper digestion. In addition, cholesterol aids the digestive system by strengthening the intestinal walls.

- Cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D, an important nutrient which supports a healthy immune and nervous system, reproduction, insulin production and the metabolism of minerals. Recently the suggested daily allowance for vitamin D has been significantly raised in light of how important it is for good health.

- Serotonin receptors in the brain require cholesterol in order to function properly. Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter that promotes a natural feeling of well-being. Low levels of serotonin are linked to depression, violence and suicide.

Understanding this information can help to clear up the fog surrounding the truth about cholesterol's function in the body. Cholesterol itself is not a substance that should be feared as one would fear the bubonic plague. It is a naturally occurring alcohol, manufactured by the body for very specific and necessary reasons. Without it, our quality of life would be severely reduced and our health would ultimately fail.

Sources:

http://www.spiked-online.com/Articl...

Fallon, Sally and Enig, Mary. (1999) Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.

Schwarzbein, Diana. (1999) The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Losing Weight, Being Healthy and Feeling Younger.

Antidepressants linked to sudden death to women

(NaturalNews) Research just published in the March 17, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology links depression to sudden cardiac death (SCD) and fatal coronary heart disease (CHD) in women with no known heart problems. But if you read the research carefully, it reveals another startling link: The study found the women with the highest risk for SCD and fatal CHD had the most depressive symptoms or were taking antidepressants.

"We can't say antidepressant medications were the cause of higher risk of sudden cardiac death. It may well be that use of antidepressants is a marker for worse depression," lead researcher William Whang, M.D., M.S., Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center, said in a statement to the media. "Our data raise more questions about the mechanisms by which depression is associated with arrhythmia and cardiac death." However, according to Whang's own research, the risk of cardiac death was associated more strongly with taking antidepressant drugs than with symptoms of clinical depression.

Whang and his research team studied 63,469 women from the Nurses Health Study who had no evidence of previous stroke or heart disease during a follow-up between the years of 1992 and 2004. To find out which women suffered from depression, Whang and his colleagues looked at self-reported symptoms of depression and the use of antidepressant medications such as Prozac. Women with the most serious clinical depression were identified by the use of a 5-point mental health index score of less than 53 or by the fact they took antidepressants regularly.

No relationship was noted between antidepressant use and fatal CHD or nonfatal heart attack -- but a link between serious heart rhythm problems, including those that cause sudden death, was found. According to the American Heart Association, SCD (also know as cardiac arrest or heart arrest) causes unexpected, sudden death from an abrupt loss of heart function.

"These data indicate the link between depression and serious heart rhythm problems may be more complex than previously thought. It raises the question of whether this association may have something to do with the antidepressant drugs used to treat depression," Sanjiv M. Narayan, M.D., F.A.C.C., University of California, San Diego, who co-authored the accompanying editorial with colleague, Murray Stein, M.D., said in a statement to the media.

Both Dr. Whang and Dr. Narayan stated in the media release that the relationship between antidepressant medicines and sudden cardiac death needs more research to determine whether antidepressant medications directly increase the risk for deadly heart rhythm disorders, but they claim the benefits of "appropriately prescribed" antidepressants outweigh the risk of sudden cardiac death.

"We can't say antidepressant medications were the cause of higher risk of sudden cardiac death. It may well be that use of antidepressants is a marker for worse depression," adds Dr. Whang. "Our data raise more questions about the mechanisms by which depression is associated with arrhythmia and cardiac death."

However, the truth is that although SSRI antidepressants (such as Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft, Paxil and others) are generally described as safe for the heart , a host of cardiovascular side effects -- including irregular heart rhythms and even potentially lethal arrhythmias -- have long been known to occur in some people taking the drugs. In fact, Eli Lily, the drug company behind Prozac, lists these cardiovascular side effects, including heart arrest, on their official package insert for physicians:

* Frequent: hemorrhage, hypertension, palpitation
* Infrequent: angina pectoris, arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, hypotension, migraine, myocardial infarct, postural hypotension, syncope, tachycardia, vascular headache
* Rare: atrial fibrillation, bradycardia, cerebral embolism, cerebral ischemia, cerebrovascular accident, extrasystoles, heart arrest, heart block, pallor, peripheral vascular disorder, phlebitis, shock, thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, vasospasm, ventricular arrhythmia, ventricular extrasystoles, ventricular fibrillation.

For more information:
http://www.americanheart.org/presen...
http://pi.lilly.com/us/prozac.pdf?r...
http://www.antiaging-systems.com/ap...
http://www.drugawareness.org/advers...
http://www.eurekalert.org/emb_relea...

Potassium-sodium ratio for your heart's health

(NaturalNews) Excessive sodium intake can be damaging for heart health. On the other hand, eating more potassium gives cardiovascular wellbeing a boost. A recent groundbreaking study has revealed that it is not just about the quantities of these two nutrients which are important; instead, it is the ratio of their amounts which is a crucial factor. The study had found that a 2:1 intake of potassium to sodium may lower one's risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 50%.

Details and Findings of Study

For the study, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers had looked at data from two large trials which were originally carried out in the late 80s and early 90s to find out the link between blood pressure and several factors, for example diet and weight loss. During those studies, some of the study subjects were asked to reduce their sodium intake by up to 35%. A few times during the study period, urine samples over a 24-hour period were collected. These samples were then used by the researchers to assess the nutrient intake of each person. This procedure improved the accuracy of the experiment by not using self-reported information, which can be unreliable.

Results published earlier in 2007 had revealed that study subjects who ate less sodium, even for just a short period of a few years, had a 25% lower chance of dying from cardiovascular disease 10 to 15 years later, as compared to those who carried on eating large amounts of the mineral.

For the current study, the team zoomed in on the latter group and discovered that even among those who continued eating a lot of sodium, the subjects who consumed more potassium generally had a lower long-term risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Further, they found, too, that those with the highest potassium-sodium intake ratio (about 2:1) had only half the risk of cardiovascular disease death as compared to those with the lowest ratio (about 1:4). According to the study's findings, the said ratio actually mattered more than the actual quantities eaten.

Potassium, Sodium and Their Ratio

Indeed, potassium and sodium play a key role together in the body in maintaining water balance and blood pressure. Current dietary patterns are, however, heavily skewed in favor of sodium. Most Americans in fact consume a lot more than the American daily recommended maximum amount of 2,300 milligrams. This trend is highly undesirable as numerous studies have shown that too much sodium can cause fluid retention, elevating blood pressure and the risk of heart disease death.

On the flip side, potassium has been shown in studies to help regulate blood pressure; elevated blood pressure, of course, greatly increases one's risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack. Current American guidelines suggest a minimum of 4,700 mg of daily potassium, which is incidentally about double the recommended maximum amount of sodium. Surveys, however, have suggested that Americans are on average eating 4,000 mg of sodium and only 2,600 mg of potassium each day. This is certainly an alarmingly lopsided ratio.

The realization of the importance of the potassium-sodium ratio is a crucial one. At the same time, it is also a reminder to us of the intricate and often complex interactions between different nutrients and compounds in our bodies. This lends some weight to the belief that it is better to obtain our nutrition from a balanced diet containing largely whole foods and whole food supplements, as opposed to loading up on specific nutrients with the hope of achieving a specific purpose.

Boosting Your Potassium-Sodium Ratio

A great way to boost your potassium-sodium ratio is to eat more fruits and vegetables, which are rich in potassium, and to lower your intake of salty, refined and processed foods, which are common features of the typical modern day diet. Besides helping to boost cardiovascular health, fruits and vegetables, of course, also come with a host of other beneficial nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, to name a few.

Indeed, a study conducted in the 1990s found that men who ate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, poultry and fish had 30% less chance of suffering heart attacks, as compared to those who ate less of these foods. On the other hand, those who ate more refined grains, sweet foods, processed meat and red meat had a 64% elevated risk of heart attacks, as compared to men who ate the least of such foods. Further, another study carried out on women revealed a 15% lower risk of cardiovascular issues in those who ate a lot of fruits and vegetables, as compared to those who ate low amounts of these foods.

Speaking about the recent study's findings, Eva Obarzanek, a registered dietitian and research nutritionist at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and a member of the study team, said: "This provides further proof that sodium is bad and potassium is good."

That is perhaps a rather simplistic generalization, as both nutrients are actually necessary for good health. However, in view of the fact that typical modern day diets are heavily skewed in favor of the "wrong" mineral, so to speak, that statement then makes a lot of sense when taken in the right context. The overall moral of the story is actually quite simple - consume less (or no) salty processed foods, and more fruits and vegetables. You can't go far wrong with that.

Sources

Potassium to sodium ratio affects the heart (http://www.latimes.com/features/hea...)

Kinosian B, Glick H, Garland G. Cholesterol and coronary heart disease: predicting risks by levels and ratios. Annals of Internal Medicine 1994;21:641-7.

Kannel WB. Hazards, risks, and threats of heart disease from the early stages to symptomatic coronary heart disease and cardiac failure. Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy 1997;11:199-212.

Mediteranean diet and it's benefits on health

(NaturalNews) The good news about the Mediterranean diet just keeps coming. New studies have shown that eating like the Mediterraneans lowers the risk of having metabolic syndrome and stroke. It also lowers the chances for mild cognitive impairment, and the risk of progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. Survivors of heart attack had lower inflammatory markers when they adhered to the Mediterranean way of eating. Scientists have even isolated one of the most beneficial components of the diet.

Study finds Mediterranean eating cuts risk of metabolic syndrome

University scientists in Spain evaluated the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and metabolic syndrome, which is defined as a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. One quarter of the world's population has metabolic syndrome. These people are three times as likely to have a heart attack as those who do not have the syndrome, and twice as likely to die from their heart attacks. They have a five fold greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Up to 80% of the 200 million people with diabetes globally will die of cardiovascular disease. This puts metabolic syndrome way above HIV/AIDS in terms of morbidity and mortality, yet the syndrome is not well recognized by the medical establishment.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 808 high cardiovascular risk participants. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the updated National Cholesterol and Education Program Adult Treatment Panel criteria. The scientists found an inverse association between quartiles of adherence to the diet and the prevalence of the syndrome. Participants with the highest adherence to Mediterranean eating had up to 54 percent lower odds of having low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides compared to those in the lowest quartile. Components of the diet such as olive oil, legumes, and red wine were associated with lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The study was published in the January 26 edition of Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease.

Potent beneficial compound of Mediterranean eating revealed

A study in Italy considered the relationship between dietary intake of allium vegetables and cardiovascular diseases. The allium family consists of versatile vegetables high in beneficial sulfur compounds that give them their distinctive taste and aroma. Onions and garlic are allium vegetables as are shallots, leeks and chives.

Researchers analyzed the relationship between onion intake and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or heart attack. They used data from a case-control study of 760 patients with a first episode of non fatal heart attack, and 682 controls admitted to the same hospital. Information was collected by trained interviewers using a food-frequency questionnaire. They found that compared with non-users, the odds ratio of AMI for the following categories of onion intake were .90 for less than one portion per week and .78 for greater than one portion per week. From this study, reported in the January 13 edition of the European Journal of Nutrition, the researchers concluded that a diet rich in onions has a favorable effect on heart attack risk.

Mediterranean style eating is good for the brain

Researchers at Columbia University in New York explored the association between the Mediterranean diet and mild cognitive impairment. In a multi-ethnic community study in New York, 1393 cognitively normal participants were followed for a mean period of 4.5 years. During that time, 275 of them developed mild cognitive impairment. Compared with subjects in the lowest third for adherence to the Mediterranean diet, those in the middle third had 17 percent less risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, and those in the highest third had 28 percent less risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. There were 482 subjects who had pre-existing mild cognitive impairment, 106 of whom developed Alzheimer's disease during a mean follow up of 4.3 years. Compared with subjects in the lowest third in diet adherence, subjects in the middle third had 45 percent less risk of developing Alzheimer's, and those in the highest third had 48 percent less risk. This study was reported in the February Archives of Neurology.

The Mediterranean diet is based on abundance, not deprivation

While it is common to think of diets restricting food intake, the Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that compasses a love of eating. It has nothing to do with deprivation. It is based on the glorious array of fresh foods that are products of the region.

The diet was discovered by Dr. Ancel Keys, from the University of Minnesota Public Health School, given its name by the International Conference on Diets in the Mediterranean in 1993, and promoted by Dr. Willett, Head of the Nutrition Department at Harvard University. It is the diet of the common people living in Greece, Italy and Spain.

What is thought of as the traditional Mediterranean diet has been interpreted into a pyramid with daily physical activity at its base. Regular physical activity is seen as bedrock for promoting healthy weight, fitness and well-being. This is not grueling exercise, but enjoyable activity like walking, soccer, tennis, golf, dancing, weight lifting and love making. It includes activities with immediate paybacks, like house cleaning and gardening.

The food base of the pyramid is comprised of plant sources, including fruits, vegetables, potatoes, breads and grains, beans, and nuts and seeds. Common foods on this step are pasta, rice, couscous, and polenta. Emphasis is on a variety of minimally processed, and whenever possible, seasonally fresh and locally grown foods. Foods typically grown in the region include olives, avocadoes, grapes, spinach, eggplant, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, capers, onions, almonds, walnuts, chick peas, white beans, lentils and other beans, and peanuts.

Olive oil is the principle fat used in Mediterranean cuisine. Total fat consumption ranges from less than 25 percent to over 35 percent of calories, with saturated fat making up no more than 7 to 8 percent of all fat calories. Olive oil is predominantly monounsaturated fat. Mediterraneans do not generally use highly process polyunsaturated vegetable or seed oils.

Small amounts of cheese and yogurt are consumed by the Mediterraneans on a daily basis. Consumption of fish is also a traditional part of their diet, but fish is usually consumed only once a week and in small amounts. The fish is primarily shellfish or sardines. Weekly consumption of poultry is also common. Mediterraneans eat eggs too, but don't consume more than four eggs a week including those used in cooking and baking.

Sweets such as pastries, ice cream and cookies are consumed occasionally. They are not a part of the daily diet.

At the very top of the pyramid is animal meat, such as veal or lamb. This is consumed about once a month, a very different scenario that the typical American diet in which large chunks of animals are often eaten two or three times a day. The Mediterraneans are able to meet most of their protein needs by consuming vegetables, nuts and seeds, and beans. The daily small serving of cheese or yogurt makes these proteins complete, providing all the essential amino acids.

Alcohol, particularly red wine, is consumed in moderation with meals.

The Mediterranean diet provides the nutrients needed for good health

The reliance of the Mediterraneans on fruits and vegetables as the major force in their diets means they are consuming large amounts of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants from what they eat, so supplements are not usually needed. The diet provides a high amount of health promoting polyphenols, compounds found in fruits and vegetables that protect against the ravages of aging and ward off degenerative diseases. Their red wine provides resveratrol, the compound that mimics a diet of calorie restriction, making the Mediterranean diet one that does not make its eaters overweight. Through the dairy products and occasional fish and meats, the diet provides critical nutrients for brain health.

Olive oil also helps produce many of the beneficial effects of the diet with its ability to lower cholesterol levels in the blood. Olive oil is known to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Research indicates that olive oil prevents peptic ulcers and is effective in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. It has recently been shown to protect women from HER-2 breast cancer. Olive oil, along with the nuts, seeds and fish of the diet provides beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids lower triglycerides and have an anti-inflammatory effect that helps to stabilize blood vessel lining. Omega-3 fats promote optimal cognitive functioning.

For more information:

http://www.idf.org/home/index.cfm?n...

http://www.naturalnews.com/023346.html

http://www.mediterraneanddiet.com/

Alzheimer- a NEW possible diabet type disease

(NaturalNews) Some researchers and doctors are now saying Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the new diabetes. Beware of any pharmaceutical claims and check the dietary hints at the end of this article first. Though there are similarities between the two disorders, it's too soon to jump to any drugs to prevent AD. Much more research is needed, so at this point, some clarification is definitely in order.

One of the prominent research studies being circulated is from Northwestern University, which found that insulin blocks the buildup of amyloid protein plaques. It is the buildup of such plaques in the brain that interferes with memory (one of the symptoms that defines AD) and has been found in autopsies, Before we get too excited about this research result, it needs to be pointed out that the plaques studied were on nerve cells of rats, not brain cells. Also, the type of insulin being used was not clearly defined.

A problem with this study is that the researchers also applied a drug, rosiglitazone, which was found to increase the effectiveness of the insulin. This drug is found in a widely advertised pharmaceutical many of us know as Avandia. Avandia is problematic, as it is not advised to be used by those taking insulin for diabetes control because of its involvement in heart attacks among such patients.

This is where the clarification in regard to insulin is important. Since 2005, studies at Brown University showed that insulin is produced not only in the pancreas, but also in the brain. In the Northwestern study, it was the rosiglitazone that bolstered the production of insulin in the brain and seemingly might offer a hope for those who are losing brain insulin due to aging or diabetes, with one caution. Though this finding demonstrates a significant potential to slow or deter AD pathogenesis, it is only for those who are not on insulin.

Types 1 and 2 diabetes result from a decrease in the production of insulin by the pancreas and are alike in that the amount of sugar in the blood increases. With the brain insulin-related condition now being called diabetes 3, blood sugar level is not affected. That seems to be a major difference.

There are also strong similarities. One is that deposits of the protein which cause the plaque have been found in the pancreas of those with diabetes 1 and 2, and in the brains of those with "diabetes 3", or AD. It is also recognized that diabetes 1 and 2 sufferers have up to a 65% higher risk of developing AD. These two circumstances indicate a strong link between diabetes and AD, but the causes of the relationship still need to be determined.

There are similar factors in the development of both disorders as well. In both we find impaired glucose/energy metabolism, oxidative stress, altered insulin-signaling pathways, some lipid metabolism dysfunction and inflammation. Some research has shown that vascular dysfunction contributes to AD, and it also is involved in diabetes.

Reactions from experts in the field have covered a wide range. As we've heard, some call the brain-centered insulin depletion "diabetes 3". Others say it is a totally different ailment which doesn't correspond to type 1 or type 2 diabetes, but appears to follow a different and more complex disease process which originates in the central nervous system.

A representative from the Alzheimer's Research Trust said that it's been believed for awhile that insulin and its growth factors play a very important role in Alzheimer's Disease. One suggestion is that the link could be in molecular changes which are affected by insulin. The trust is funding research into the way insulin acts on the brain in an attempt to increase understanding about Alzheimer's.

Professor Gregory Cole, from the University of California Los Angeles' Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, has been doing many interesting research studies in relation to AD, besides looking at the diabetes connection. He said: "This is a new finding. It is interesting that the brain makes very low levels of insulin. But its significance is unclear. The levels are so low that they have not been detected with less sensitive methods."

What may be more exciting to Natural News readers on the AD subject are Professor Cole's findings on other substances besides insulin which may block amyloid plaques. Curcumin, or turmeric, the yellow Indian spice used in curry, was also found to block the plaques in mice. In addition, he has found that docosahexenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid present in cold-water fish, substantially slowed AD's progression in mice inflicted with the disorder.

Does this mean that eating curried fish will help prevent Alzheimer's? It's definitely food for thought. Whether or not it can, it's at least good for a number of other ailments and certainly beats using a pharmaceutical with all of its harmful side effects! Just remember to choose the coldwater fish which are lowest in mercury, such as herring, freshwater trout, wild salmon, sardines, shad and anchovies.

It bears repeating that much more research needs to be done before there is unanimous agreement that Alzheimer's Disease is a type of diabetes. For most of us, this is not the crucial issue. What we do need to keep in mind and act on is the knowledge that a diet rich in raw foods and low in sugars, coupled with a lifestyle that includes plenty of daily exercise, will help to keep insulin at good levels.

If some people want to add some curried foods and coldwater fish to the mix, they just might find it true that fish is indeed brain food.

Resources:

Journal of Alzheimers Disease http://www.j-alz.com/issues/16/vol1...
- Paula I. Moreira, Ana I. Duarte, Maria S. Santos, A. Cristina Rego, Catarina R. Oliveira,
"An Integrative View of the Role of Oxidative Stress, Mitochondria and Insulin in Alzheimer's Disease"
- V. Prakash Reddy, Xiongwei Zhu, George Perry, Mark A. Smith (Handling Editor: Ralph N. Martins) "Oxidative Stress in Diabetes and Alzheimer's Disease"
- Sajjad Muhammad, Angelika Bierhaus, Markus Schwaninger, "Reactive Oxygen Species in Diabetes-induced Vascular Damage, Stroke, and Alzheimer's Disease"
- Allan Jones, Philipp Kulozik, Anke Ostertag, Stephan Herzig, "Common Pathological Processes and Transcriptional Pathways in Alzheimer's Disease and Type 2 Diabetes"
- Elzbieta Kojro, Rolf Postina, "Regulated Proteolysis of RAGE and as Possible Link Between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer's Disease"

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscen...

BBC News, 7 March 2005, "Study Suggests 'Type 3 Diabetes' "

Jenny Thompson, HSI e-newsletter, February 2009

Virus involved in type 1 diabetes

Virus 'triggers child diabetes'

By Emma Wilkinson
BBC News health reporter
Thursday, 5 March 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7926026.stm


A common virus may be the trigger for the development of many cases of diabetes, particularly in children, UK researchers have reported.

Signs of enteroviruses were found in pancreatic tissue from 60% of children with type 1 diabetes, but in hardly any children without the disease.

They also found that 40% of adults with type 2 diabetes had signs of the infection in insulin-producing cells.

The study published in Diabetologia raises the possibility of a vaccine.

Although genetics is known to play a fairly substantial role in a person's risk of developing diabetes, environmental factors must also be involved and the idea of a viral cause of diabetes has been considered for decades.

The next steps to identify the viruses and find out what they are doing to the infected beta cells will be hugely exciting and will take us a step closer to preventing type 1 diabetes

Dr Iain Frame, Diabetes UK

The latest study was made possible by a pathologist in Glasgow who for 25 years collected tissue samples from children across the UK who had died less than 12 months after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Dr Alan Foulis believed that enteroviruses - a common family of viruses which cause symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea - would be present but until recently the technology was not sensitive enough to detect them.

Along with colleagues from the south west-based Peninsula Medical School and the University of Brighton, he has now been able to look for evidence of the enteroviruses in tissue samples routinely taken during autopsy in 72 children and compare that with samples from 50 children without the condition.

In those with diabetes who had signs of the virus, it was specifically found in the insulin-producing beta cells.

Immune trigger

The researchers suggest that, in children with a genetic predisposition to type 1 diabetes - an autoimmune disease in which beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed - enterovirus infection can trigger the immune reaction that kicks off the disease process.

With type 2 diabetes - the type often linked to obesity in adults - the researchers speculate that the infection affects the ability of the cells to make insulin, which in combination with the greater demand for insulin in obese people, is enough to set off the disease.

At the same time, a separate study, published in Science, by researchers at Cambridge University, found four rare mutations in a gene which reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

It also backs the viral theory because the gene in question is involved in the immune response to infection with enteroviruses.

Type 1 diabetes is a life- threatening condition that requires a life-time of painful finger prick blood testing and insulin injections

Karen Addington, JDRF

There are 100 different strains of enterovirus, so although the results open the way for the development of a vaccine, researchers still have to pin down which types are involved.

The study's author, Professor Noel Morgan from the Peninsula Medical School, said the results showed the underlying infection with enteroviruses was not a "rare event".

"The next stages of research - to identify which enteroviruses are involved, how the beta-cells are changed by infection and the ultimate goal to develop an effective vaccine - will lead to findings which we hope will drastically reduce the number of people around the world who develop type 1 diabetes, and potentially type 2 diabetes as well," he added.

Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said the study was "a big step forward" in understanding the potential triggers for the disease.

"We've known for some time that type 1 diabetes cannot be explained by genetics alone and that other, environmental triggers may also play a part.

"The next steps to identify the viruses and find out what they are doing to the infected beta cells will be hugely exciting and will take us a step closer to preventing Type 1 diabetes."

Karen Addington, chief executive of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, who funded the research, said the findings were important as the incidence of type 1 diabetes is increasing every year and there is currently no way to prevent it.

"Type 1 diabetes is a life- threatening condition that requires a life-time of painful finger prick blood testing and insulin injections," she pointed out.

Future threats to health and environment

Future Threats to the Global Environment-NanoMaterials, Manmade Viruses & Biomimetic Robots

February 26, 2009
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/...onmental-t.html


Forget about rising global water levels: Researchers, policymakers and environmental campaigners have identified 25 potential future threats to the environment including nanomaterials, manmade viruses and biomimetic robots. In addition to well-publicized risks such as toxic nanomaterials, the acidification of the ocean and increasingly frequent extreme weather events, the list includes some spooky scifi sounding possibilities:

• Biomimetic robots that could become new invasive species.

• Experiments involving climate engineering, for instance ocean 'fertilization' and deploying solar shields

• Increased demand for the biomass needed to make biofuel.

• Disruption to marine ecosystems caused by offshore power generation.

• Experiments to control invasive species using genetically engineered viruses.

William Sutherland, a zoologist at the University of Cambridge, led a series of horizon-scanning workshops where the threats where highlighted.


Some of the threats identified are more speculative, such as robots that imitate animal behavior and microbes made from synthetic molecules and might eventually behave like invasive species.

Posted by Jason McManus.

Source link:

http://environment.newscientist.com/articl...the-future.html

Antidepressants and emotions

Antidepressant Drugs May Also Suppress Basic Human Emotions

Published on 02-25-2009 Email To Friend Print Version
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/02...epressants.html


Antidepressant drugs, already known to cause sexual side effects, may also suppress the basic human emotions of love and romance.

That SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — the most common type of antidepressant — cause sexual dysfunction is common knowledge. Of the 31 million adults in the United States who take the SSRIs, about 30 percent are believed to experience sexual dysfunction.

But a new theory suggests that SSRI antidepressants may also subtly alter the fundamental chemistry of love and romance, snuffing the first sparks between two people otherwise destined to become lovers, and preventing couples from bonding.

"There's every reason to think SSRIs blunt your ability to fall and stay in love," said Helen Fisher, a Rutgers University biological anthropologist who has pioneered the modern science of love.

For some people, of course, sexual side effects are an acceptable price to pay for curing debilitating depression. But as antidepressant use becomes more common, extending beyond full-blown clinical depression to disorders like anxiety and, in some cases, insomnia, the possibility of love-stunting is troubling.

SSRI antidepressants work by boosting circulating levels of serotonin, a mood-regulating neurotransmitter that also inhibits desire. The drugs also decrease dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in a wide range of cognitive and behavioral processes, among them desire and arousal. The new research suggests that dopamine may also play a part in romance.

During sex, a cocktail of hormones is released that appears to play important roles in fostering romantic attachment within the brain. Take away sex, and romantic love can dwindle. But this is just part of the problem, say Fisher and University of Virginia psychiatrist James Thomson.

Dopamine also appears central to the neurobiology of romantic love and attachment, conditions that Fisher believes to be affected by — but ultimately distinct from — sexual love and its effects. She and Thomson say that SSRIs may do more than cause sexual dysfunction: They also suppress romance.

"There are all sorts of unconscious systems in our brain that we use to negotiate romantic love and romantic attraction," said Thomson. "If these drugs cause conscious sexual side effects, we'd argue that there are going to be side effects that are not conscious."

According to Fisher, humans have three distinct but interconnected love-related brain systems: one for sex, another for attachment and another for romantic love. This is still hypothetical — nobody knows exactly what love does in the brain — but Fisher has been a pioneering researcher on romantic love's neurobiology, and dopamine indeed appears important.

When couples have just fallen in love, the mere sight of the other causes a jump in dopamine-related brain activity. If they manage to stay in love, with the early flush giving way to long-term affection, those brain patterns stay active.

Reduced dopamine levels, however, are an inevitable effect of SSRIs. Reduce dopamine, say Fisher and Thomson, and the possibility of love itself is reduced.

Though biologically plausible, definitive evidence for this has yet to be found. The only study to specifically test the hypothesis was conducted by Saint Mary's University psychologist Maryanne Fisher, who found that women taking antidepressants tended to have muted reactions when showed pictures of attractive men. The effect was small, however, and the study has not been reproduced.

University of California at Los Angeles psychiatrist Andrew Leuchter acknowledged that increasing serotonin can decrease dopamine, but has not seen difficulties in forming emotional attachments among his patients. "I've seen people who have great difficulty with their emotional attachments, who think they've fallen out of love or want to isolate themselves, come alive again," said Leuchter, who receives funding from antidepressant drugmakers. "I'm not sure the syndrome [Fisher and Thomson] describe exists."

Thomson and Fisher, on the other hand, report the opposite: antidepressant takers who've lost the capacity for romantic feeling.

Clinical studies of antidepressant side effects do little to settle this debate. They've focused on sexual problems, which are far easier to measure than subtle effects on something so ephemeral as a spark.

Thomson recommended that psychologists investigating romance ask test subjects whether they take antidepressants. He also suggests that the possibility of romantic stunting be considered when deciding whether antidepressants should be prescribed to a child or young adult.

"Does it impact the development of those areas of the brain involved in love and sexuality? Does it impair the feelings and behaviors of romantic love and sexuality and the learning processes, which might be required to bring those areas of the brain online?" said Thomson. "We don't know."

Said Fisher, "We want to know about the side effects of other drugs. Why not know about the side effects of these drugs, which affect our reproductive future?"

Another alternative could be drugs that don't boost serotonin. Bupropion, also known as Wellbutrin, increases levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, another neurotransmitter; it's been associated with far lower levels of sexual dysfunction, but doesn't work for everyone.

Drug companies are currently designing next-generation antidepressants that raise dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine levels simultaneously, and might have fewer romantic side effects. However, none of these drugs are yet on the market, and projected side effects remain hypothetical.

"Any drug in development is always better than anything out there," said Leuchter. "And then, once they hit the market, nothing is perfect."

Aspirin - NEW Benefits revealed

(NaturalNews) If you listen to the reigning experts from the pharmaceutical world, aspirin appears to be the cure-all for everything. Now, a new Yale University study suggests that low-dose aspirin may prevent liver damage caused by side effects of drugs, alcohol, and obesity. Specifically, aspirin reduced mortality caused by Tylenol overdose in mice. Given together with Tylenol, it offered significant protection, increasing survival from 22 to 43%. Other drugs that block inflammation were also shown to protect the liver (Imaeda et al., 2009). As usual, no mention was made of anti-inflammatory vitamins and minerals in this study.


A number of pharmaceutical industry-sponsored studies support the use of aspirin for prevention. Low-dose aspirin is positioned as a widely available, inexpensive, and relatively safe drug regimen. Its anti-clotting effect is used widely to prevent heart attacks, strokes and blood clot formation. Given immediately after a heart attack, aspirin is said to reduce heart damage and the risk of another heart attack. Now, low dose aspirin may be promoted to inhibit liver inflammation from drug use. Consider, however, that higher doses may increase liver toxicity.


Thus, from one single mouse study, the authors conclude that aspirin should be taken daily to help prevent or treat liver damage from a host of non-infectious causes. They even suggest that drugs previously discarded due to liver toxicity might be resurrected if combined with aspirin. Soon enough, a new OTC drug combining Tylenol and low-dose aspirin is likely to show up in drugstores.


However, aspirin is not the cure-all that the industry makes it out to be. Aspirin is not recommended for those with intolerance or resistance to nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs, or by those with bleeding problems, asthma, kidney disease, peptic ulcers, diabetes, gout or gastritis. There is an increased risk of stomach bleeding when aspirin is taken with alcohol or warfarin. Up to 28% of patients who take low-dose aspirin to ward off heart attacks develop peptic ulcers, though often without symptoms (Yeomans et al., 2005). Factors that increase ulcer risk include old age or infection with H. pylori. Aspirin should also not be given to young people for colds or flu, as this has been linked with Reye`s syndrome. As with any drug, the benefits of aspirin should be carefully assessed before taking it for long periods.


Generally speaking, no drug is a solution for chronic degenerative disease. Aspirin is no exception, as it is in fact a metabolic poison. Indeed, aspirin`s side effects may far outweigh any benefits. Aspirin can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer (Schernhammer 2004), damage kidneys, and promote gastric bleeding. The WASH (Warfarin/Aspirin Study in Heart failure) study provided no evidence that aspirin is effective or safe in patients with heart failure. Indeed, there were trends toward a worse outcome among those taking aspirin, including heart failure (Cleland et al., 2004). It is likely that aspirin is not as safe as suggested. It may also not be as cheap as advertised, when calculating the costs of treatment for adverse effects. Perhaps the greatest detriment of aspirin is that it diverts attention away from treatments that are truly beneficial.


Nevertheless, it is not wise to go cold turkey with any medication. People who stop taking aspirin once they`ve been doing it for a while risk serious heart problems. More than 10% of people taking daily aspirin for heart reasons were hospitalized within one week of stopping the therapy. It`s a Catch-22 situation, since aspirin can increase the risk of heart damage, but stopping long-term therapy can do the same. Solutions? Start by asking your doctor to safely wean you off blood-thinners without shocking your system into a heart attack. In the future, take these drugs only when needed. There are many natural alternatives to aspirin that are heart healthy without the damaging side effects.


So, what are the best alternatives to aspirin? Simple lifestyle changes such as reducing refined carbohydrate and trans fat intake, eating more alkaline foods (low-carb veggies and fruits) and exercising can have a tremendously positive effect on your cardiovascular system. There are also natural supplements with blood-thinning properties, such as Fish Oil, Vitamin E, Nattokinase, and Bromelain. Among the spices, Basil is known for preventing blood clotting. Scientists caution not to take these potential blood thinners with aspirin, as the combination may thin the blood excessively. However, fish oil may safely enhance the anti-platelet effect of baby aspirin (Larson 2008). A basic supplement regimen for cardiovascular health includes a high quality multivitamin, natural mixed vitamin E and pharmaceutical grade fish oil. There are also many minerals and antioxidants from food and supplements that boost circulatory health. Remember to buy top shelf supplements, not the cheap drugstore junk produced by the pharmaceutical industry. The extra cost is well worth the investment. Remember also to stop taking all blood thinners at least a week before surgery to avoid internal bleeding.


Furthermore, be careful with excessive calcium supplementation. Too much calcium, without other nutrients to prevent its crystallization in the body, leads to hardening of the arteries and abnormal blood clotting. Reducing calcium intake to 800 mg daily combined with magnesium, vitamin K2, vitamin D3, boron and fish oil is by far a better bone building strategy that can also improve heart health. Unfortunately, most magnesium supplements come in the oxide form, which is not absorbed by the body. Take 100-200 mg magnesium daily as citrate or taurate (or another absorbable form) to soften calcium. Vitamin K2 (but not vitamin K1) has been shown to decalcify blood vessels (Beulens et al., 2008). Vitamin D3 should be on everyone`s list to improve calcium metabolism and reduce inflammation.


There are also special foods and supplements that prevent excessive blood clotting. Nattokinase is an enzyme made from fermented soybeans that can prevent or dissolve clots. It is comparable to aspirin in enhancing blood flow, without the side effects. Nattokinase provides longer lasting benefits than aspirin without the potential for abnormal bleeding. By increasing circulation, Nattokinase enhances tissue oxygenation and increases nutrient and supplement utilization. This, in turn, increases energy, supports vision, promotes bone and joint health, alleviates minor joint and muscle pains, and supports memory (Peng et al., 2005). Nattokinase in combination with appropriate lifestyle and dietary modifications can provide excellent protection from heart attacks.


Flavonol-rich cocoa drinks and dark chocolate also compare favorably with low-dose aspirin for healthy blood clotting (Mehrinfar 2008). Cocoa may be the preferred way to thin blood, since it tastes so good, and bolsters antioxidant defenses. In contrast, aspirin may reduce antioxidant activity by blocking Vitamin C entry into cells. Tomato extracts have also been shown to help thin blood, and may contribute to cardiovascular health. By reducing platelet activation, tomato contributes to a reduction in clotting events that lead to heart attack and stroke, as shown in clinical trials (O`Kennedy 2006). Garlic`s blood-thinning effect is part of an ancient tradition. It stems from garlic`s ability to lower blood triglyceride levels. Indeed, a wide variety of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds derived from fruits and vegetables work in synergy to promote cardiovascular health. Many of these phytochemicals are available as supplements, either separately or in synergistic blends.


If you insist on taking aspirin, consider that zinc and selenium may prevent aspirin`s impairment of antioxidant, liver and kidney function (Kesik et al., 2008). These antioxidant minerals can be found in ideal form and sufficient quantity in high quality multivitamins.


In conclusion, virtually all pharmaceutical approaches to health should be considered with caution. Drugs are not the best answer to improve health, and should not be anyone`s first choice. Furthermore, drug combinations are likely to cause more problems than they fix. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical industry seems more concerned with profit than with health and welfare. Even well meaning doctors typically have no training in nutrition, and are not the best source of information in many areas of health. With so many beneficial nutrients available to improve blood flow and reduce inflammation, wholesome food and supplements are the cornerstone to health. Those who would recommend drugs for these purposes, especially to counteract the toxic effects of other drugs, have another agenda altogether.

References
Beulens JWJ, Bots ML, Atsma F, et al. High dietary menaquinone intake is associated with reduced coronary calcification. Atherosclerosis. 2008 Jul 19. [Epub ahead of print]


Cleland JG, Findlay I, Jafri S, et al. The warfarin/aspirin study in heart failure (WASH): a randomized trial comparing antithrombotic strategies for patients with heart failure. Am Heart J 2004;148:157-64.


Imaeda AB, Watanabe1 A, Sohail1 MA, et al. Acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in mice is dependent on Tlr9 and the Nalp3 inflammasome. J Clin Invest Jan 26, 2009.


Kesik V, Lenk MK, Kurekci AE, et al. Do zinc and selenium prevent the antioxidant, hepatic and renal system impairment caused by aspirin in rats? Biol Trace Elem Res 2008;123:168-78.


Larson MK, Ashmore JH, Harris KA, et al. Effects of omega-3 acid ethyl esters and aspirin, alone and in combination, on platelet function in healthy subjects. Thromb Haemost 2008;100:634-41.


Mehrinfar R, Frishman WH. Flavanol-rich cocoa: a cardioprotective nutraceutical.
Cardiol Rev 2008;16:109-15.


O`Kennedy N, Crosbie L, Whelan S, et al. Effects of tomato extract on platelet function: a double-blinded crossover study in healthy humans. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:561-9.


Peng Y, Yang X, Zhang Y, et al. Microbial fibrinolytic enzymes: an overview of source, production, properties, and thrombolytic activity in vivo. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2005;69:126-32.


Schernhammer ES, Kang JH, Chan AT, et al. A prospective study of aspirin use and the risk of pancreatic cancer in women. J Natl Cancer Inst 2004;96:22-8.


Yeomans ND, Lanas AI, Talley NJ, et al. Prevalence and incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers during treatment with vascular protective doses of aspirin. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2005;22:795-801.

BEWARE OF MERCURY ..!

- Awesome, that will fix a lot of health problems... not. What about all the diseases you put in the air. And vaccinations, shitty food etc ... Do something about that please.

U.S. reverses Bush policy, seeks mercury treaty
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29225387/

'Most important global chemical issue,' Obama official says at global talks

updated 5:45 p.m. ET Feb. 16, 2009

NAIROBI, Kenya - The new U.S. government abruptly reversed years of Bush administration policy Monday by calling for a legally binding international treaty to reduce mercury pollution, which a senior American diplomat called the most important chemical problem in the world today.

Some 6,000 tons of mercury enter the environment each year, about a third generated by power stations and coal fires. Much settles into the oceans where it enters the food chain and is concentrated in predatory fish like tuna.

Children and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to poisoning by the toxic metal, which can cause birth defects, brain damage and peeling skin.

Daniel Reifsnyder, the deputy assistant secretary of state for environment and sustainable development, told a gathering of global gathering of environmental ministers in Nairobi, Kenya, that the U.S. wants negotiations on limiting mercury to begin this year and conclude within three.

"We're prepared to help lead in developing a globally legally binding instrument," he said. "It is clear mercury is the most important global chemical issue facing us today that calls for immediate action."

The statement represented a "a 180-degree turnaround" from policy under the Bush administration, said Michael Bender, co-coordinator of the Zero Mercury Working Group, a global coalition of 75 environmental organizations working to reduce mercury exposure.

'Like night and day'
"The change is like night and day. The Bush administration opposed any international legal agreements on mercury and President (Barack) Obama is in office less than one month and is already supporting a global agreement," he said.

Bender said his group has had more discussions over mercury control in the past two weeks than they have in the last eight years and that the U.S. government included many of their ideas in the proposal they are presented in Nairobi.

Mercury is also widely used in chemical production and small-scale mining. The toxin can travel thousands of miles through the air or water.

America's Food and Drug Administration advises expectant mothers to limit weekly consumption to six ounces of albacore tuna or 12 ounces of "light" tuna, the health effects of which are still being scientifically debated. California authorities have been locked in a five year legal battle to force tuna companies to paste warning labels on their product about potentially harmful mercury levels.

Despite the warnings, there's often little public knowledge of the dangers of mercury in seafood. In the American state of Idaho, a food bank distributed as much as 96 ounces of fish in family food baskets last summer. That's 48 times more than a child weighing less than 30 pounds is advised to eat monthly, according to the Health and Welfare advisory.

There is even less awareness in developing countries, where small-scale miners use mercury to pan for gold and fishermen eat contaminated fish or sell it to chic sushi restaurants.

"Murky? Maki?" asked Peter Omoga, manager at a Japanese restaurant in the Kenyan capital, when asked about mercury levels by an Associated Press correspondent tucking into a sushi feast.

Half of emissions from coal plants
While substitutes exist for almost all industrial processes that require mercury, more than 50 percent of mercury emissions come from coal-fueled power plants, complicating efforts to regulate it in countries that rely on coal for power.

A U.S.-drafted proposal obtained by The Associated Press would form a negotiating committee in conjunction with the U.N. environment program to help countries reduce their mercury use, clean up contaminated sites and find environmentally sound ways to store mercury. The European Union has already banned mercury exports starting in 2011. The U.S. has a similar ban that will be effective 2013, legislation that was sponsored by Obama when he was a U.S. senator.

Advocacy groups that have been working on getting such a global pact passed welcomed the U.S. policy change, saying it could encourage other countries such as Canada to make a similar change. Bender said mercury levels in the world had increased two to three times over the past 200 years.

"Given that the United States has pushed the door of resistance in a sense, that will lead others to follow," said Susan Egan Keane of the Washington, D.C.-based Natural Resources Defense Council.

Patients are waking up the doctors !

Tuesday, February 16, 2009 by Milla Molgaard

Source Politiken

A new study shows that every third patient has dropped his medication for fear of side effects.

They should be helpful, but they end up scaring away many patients.

Speakers notes are nærstuderet thoroughly and fear of side effects has been given every third patient to completely abandon his medicine.

It shows a new Danish study published in weekly for Doctors today.

The fear is greater than the joy
The study is based on a questionnaire that was answered by 111 patients in a medical practice in a suburb of Copenhagen.

The conclusion is clear: The vast majority of patients read the little information about their medication labels carefully, and they nærstuderer warnings about possible adverse reactions with added interest.

In fact, the information provided on package inserts received almost one third of patients in the study to put their medication entirely on the shelf. Fear of side effects was greater than the joy of taking the medication.

Not a nationwide picture
Only just under one in five patients in the study rely on the information they receive from their physician and pharmacist, and therefore never read package inserts.

Medical Students Anna Horwitz and doctors Lene Reuther and Stig Andersen Ejdrup from Bispebjerg Hospital is sponsoring the study.

They stress that the 111 patients' responses can not give a nationwide picture of the patient compared with inserts and medicine, but the results lie close to the previous studies.

Content is difficult to understand
Speakers notes are important information for patients, but the study suggests that some have trouble understanding their content.

'A third of the patients had difficulty reading or understanding this leaflet. This underscores the importance of revising the inserts with respect to font size and language, the researchers write in their conclusion.

It is a requirement that all medicines must contain inserts with information about possible side effects.

Grow your baby Vegan...

(NaturalNews) If you have made the choice to center your and your baby's diet around plant based whole foods, then congratulations. You have chosen an educational and life transforming path. It has been shown that an optimal diet for people is one that is centered on this. If you do it right you can expect many benefits. To get the most from this diet, be sure your baby gets plenty of calories from a wide variety of whole food sources. This is the best way to insure sufficient proteins as well as other nutrients.

In the first six months of life a baby should be nursing, and will receive the very best form of nutrition this way. Breastfeeding provides optimal immune protection, and reduces risks of allergies. It also reduces the risks of illnesses, not to mention that it is a bonding experience for the mother and baby. It is recommended, that if a substitute must be made, only an iron-fortified formula would suffice. Look for vegan organic formulas. You can find them at most health food stores or buy them from online health sources.

When your baby is ready to eat solids they will usually tell you by reaching for what your eating or staring at your food. Start out with blended and pureed foods. Give your baby one new food at a time, and don't add any thing new for a few days after. This will allow you to see if your baby has an allergic reaction to any new food. Start feeding your baby solids once per day, and gradually increase to 3-4 times per day. A normal serving for veggies and fruit would be 2-4 tablespoons, and for cereal grains, about 1 tablespoon to start, increasing to 1/4 to 1/2 cup over time.

Iron fortified rice cereal is a good starter food for babies. You can find a good organic brand. Some good cooked foods, for pureeing, are squash, carrots, peas, yams, beans that are well cooked, tofu, and whole grains. Most fruits and veggies, in their raw state, are excellent for babies. For a baby under 12 months pureed fruit or veggies are perfect foods.

One great way to get in some good fruits and veggies is by making green smoothies. Mix fruit and greens together in the blender with a little filtered water. These smoothies taste great and will give you and your baby perfect blends of nutrients. They are loaded with electrolyte minerals, which help to keep the body hydrated and aid in recovery from exercise. Our baby's first solid food was one of these smoothies, and he still eats them very consistently at 16 months old. Banana's blended with parsley or mixed baby greens, and a little water, make great green smoothies. Some times throw some Chlorella in for added nutritional benefits. Our baby eats his chlorella in tablet form like they would be candy.

You can introduce finger foods to your baby at around 9 months. They should be soft and/or easily dissolve in your baby's mouth. At 1 year old your baby will be ready to eat a lot of foods in their whole form like you do. For safety, it would be wise to peel the skins off of apples, and make sure nuts and seeds are blended or pureed to prevent choking.

Legumes, tofu, millet, quinoa, and wild or brown rice are good sources for carbohydrates and proteins. Brewer's yeast, chlorella and spirulina are very high in protein. It is also good to keep in mind, that protein, in its amino acid components, is in pretty much every plant. If you give your baby enough calories from a variety of whole foods, you can be confident in knowing he/she is getting enough.

Avocados, olives, olive oil, flax oil, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and pure extra virgin unrefined coconut oil are some good fat sources. Higher amounts of fats are needed for babies than adults. As long as they are good sources your baby will benefit from them. A wide variety of fresh organic fruits and veggies provide ample amounts of carbohydrates, amino acids, minerals and vitamins.

Let your baby or toddler eat super foods. Your baby will love them and they are loaded with nutrients. One good example of a super food is goji berries. They are one of the highest sources of vitamin C in the world, and are very high in beta-carotene; the plant is based in vitamin A, as well. They contain all of the amino acids required by the human body to form complete proteins. Gojis contain a significant amount of iron in addition to a complex of 20 other minerals. They even help the body to produce more HGH. You can soak them or eat them dry. If your baby is under 1 year old, soak the berries and throw them in the blender with a little water. Chlorella and Spirulina are other great examples of super foods.

Let babies decide when they are finished eating. They will eat more and less different days. They may not want to eat as much if they are teething or not feeling well. This is the time to encourage fluids, of which most should be water. Fresh juice is great mixed with an equal amount of water, as long as it is not much more than 4 ounces per day, because of its high sugar content. Make sure your food is organic quality or better. Organic foods are generally much higher in nutrients.

Some important nutrients to support your vegan baby's optimal health are Vitamin B12, DHA and Vitamin D. These 3 are the least easily acquired through a vegan diet. Some good plant based sources of Vitamin B12 are chlorella, sea veggies, and nutritional or brewer's yeast. Don't hesitate to give a B12 supplement to your toddler if you are concerned they are not getting enough from food.

Get plenty of sunshine. At least 10 to 15 minutes a day to get plenty of vitamin D. In the plant kingdom there are no sources that we know of that contain vitamin D. Until we know better get a supplement for when you and your baby are not getting enough Sun. The vegan source would be D2. Recent findings have shown it to be as effective as D3 in maintaining proper serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. You can get vitamin D3 that comes from the lanolin in sheep's wool. In this case it's not plant based, however it is animal friendly.

Give yourself and your baby plenty of omega 3s from great sources. Omega 3's are an essential fatty acid that your body needs but does not create itself. They are also known as alpha linolenic acids. Good sources are flax seeds that you have blended, or flax oil, green leafy veggies, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, spirulina, and chlorella. Our bodies can synthesize alpha linolenic acid (omega 3s) into DHA, which is essential for optimal health. This process is said to be most effective if you consume less omega 6s, such as sunflower oil, safflower oil, and corn oil. If you want to play it safe get a vegan DHA supplement that it is derived from marine micro algae. Some people consider Phytoplankton and Krill to be vegan friendly sources for this nutrient.

Going beyond the basics for your vegan baby, here are a couple more tips for optimal health. Play with your baby. Take the time out to see what they have to show you. Be patient and loving with them. Know that they will do anything to get your love, and that is mostly what your baby wants. Brian Tracy talks about this on his tape series, " The Psychology of Achievement." He also mentions that it's not just quality time, but quantity of time, that shows your baby or toddler you love them. They will be more relaxed and confident after a little focused attention and eye contact.

Set up a routine that benefits you and your baby. You can do this one step at a time and change it as you learn what works best, or to see what else might be good. We started a nightly meditation and teatime with our baby. The only rule during meditation is that we don't talk. Our baby usually does and that's fine. He loves meditation time and even starts pulling out pillows to sit on when the time draws near. Right before bed he gets to drink a little baby safe tea or water from his stainless steal sippy cup. These routines can be fun, and they give you and your baby something to look forward to.

Good teas for babies are rooibos and chamomile. IF you are a nursing or pregnant mother try a blend of raspberry leaf, stinging nettles, and alfalfa. This combination is toning to the uterus and increases breast milk production.

Now you are armed with the basics for your vegan baby. Go out and apply this valuable information and learn more as you go. It is fun and life enriching to take on these kinds of responsibilities.

References

Bonefeld-Jorgensen EC, Moller SM, Hansen JC at http://www.bio-sources.com/omega3,

Vitamin D2 is as effective as vitamin D3 in maintaining concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D at
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...

http://www.sunfood.com,

Introducing Solids: Feeding vegan babies by Erin Pavlina at http://www.vegfamily.com/babies-and...

Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis, R.D. and Vesanto Melina M.S., R.D.,

Raising Vegetarian Children by Joanne Stepaniak, M.S.Ed. And Vesanto Melina M.S., R.D.

The Psychology of Achievement by Brian Tracy

http://www.bestbabystuff.com/organi...

Vegan Society at http://www.vegansociety.com/food/nu...